How To Delete Reading History On Kindle Without Losing Books?

I've been using Kindle for years, and I totally get why you'd want to clear your reading history without losing your books. The easiest way is to go to your Kindle's home screen, find the book you want to remove from your history, and press and hold its cover. A menu will pop up—select 'Remove from Device' or 'Remove Download' depending on your Kindle model. This only deletes the local copy, not the book from your Amazon account. You can always re-download it later from the cloud. If you want to clear your entire reading history, you'll need to go to Amazon's 'Manage Your Content and Devices' page, find the book, and select 'Delete' under the 'Actions' menu. Just remember, this won't delete the book itself, only the reading progress and highlights.

Navigating Kindle settings can be tricky, but I've found a reliable method to clean up reading history while keeping your library intact. First, open your Kindle and tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select 'Settings,' then 'Device Options,' and finally 'Advanced Options.' Here, you'll find 'Privacy Settings' where you can turn off 'Device Activity.' This stops new activity from being recorded but doesn’t erase existing history.

For a more thorough cleanup, visit Amazon’s website and log into your account. Go to 'Content & Devices,' then select 'Books.' You’ll see a list of all your titles. Click on the one you want to clear history for and choose 'Delete this book’s annotations.' This removes your reading progress and notes but leaves the book in your library. If you’re using the Kindle app on a phone or tablet, the process is similar—just look for 'Reading Insights' in the app settings and disable it.

A pro tip: If you share your Kindle with someone, consider creating separate profiles to keep your reading histories private. This way, your recommendations won’t get mixed up, and you can maintain your own personalized library without interference.

Clearing your Kindle reading history is simpler than it seems, and I’ve experimented with a few methods to get it right. The key is understanding the difference between deleting a book and removing its history. On your Kindle, swipe down from the top to open the quick actions menu and tap 'All Settings.' Scroll to 'Reading Options' and toggle off 'Save Reading Progress.' This stops future tracking but won’t wipe past data.

For existing history, connect your Kindle to a computer and access the 'documents' folder. Look for files with '.mbp' or '.tan' extensions—these store your reading progress. Deleting them clears the history locally. Just don’t touch the '.azw' or '.kfx' files, as those are the actual books. If you’re using the Kindle app, go to 'More' > 'Settings' > 'Reading Progress' and turn it off. This keeps your books safe while resetting your progress.

Another neat trick is to use Amazon’s 'Manage Your Content' page to bulk delete annotations. Select multiple books, click 'Delete annotations,' and confirm. This is great for a fresh start without losing any titles from your collection.